I set aside the top-turned-dress, and used a bit of the
leftover yarn to add a block to my scrap sock yarn blanket. Something
unexpected happened:

I fell in love with the more tightly knit version of the
yarn.

In this yarn’s journey, I had already tried knitting it on
US-5 (3.75 mm) needles. The result was fabric that looked both fuzzy and
matted. I moved up to US-7 (4.5 mm) then finally US-9 (5.5 mm) needles in order
to achieve an airy fuzziness.

I hadn’t thought to try smaller needles until I pulled out
the US-1 (2.25 mm) needles that I use on my scrap blanket. I expected a tight, matted fabric but the smaller
stitches kept the fuzziness in check for beautiful results.

I set off to find a new pattern for the yarn that called for
smaller needles, and decided on La Grasse Matinée by Anna Johanna.It’s a loose top that is knit with US-1 1/2
(2.5 mm) and US-2 1/2 (3.0 mm) needles. And it only uses about 1,000 yards of
yarn, which is about all I had.

I decided to knit size L (96 cm bust) on US-2 (2.75 mm) and
US-3 (3.25 mm) circular needles, which are the closest needle sizes I have to
the pattern directions. The pattern knit up smoothly without any problems, and
was surprisingly not boring given how much of the top is plain stockinette
stitch.

There is an eyelet detail on the lower edges of the body and sleeves, and garter stitch minimizes curling.

I had to shorten the length of the sleeves because I was
running out of yarn, but otherwise I didn’t make any modifications to the
pattern. The fit is great, and I would knit La Grasse Matinée again.

One of my initial concerns with the yarn was that it would feel scratchy against my skin. I’m happy to say that the scratchiness is minimal.
The llama is technically hair and, sure enough, that’s what it feels like. As
someone with long hair, I’m already used to a certain amount of hair pokes and
random strands getting caught up in clothing fabric; wearing this top felt like
more of the usual.

It can be easy to get caught up in thinking the first idea
is the best idea, but my journey with this yarn has been a great reminder not
to shy away from experimenting. Letting go of preconceived ideas can be
difficult, but so worthwhile!

Have you made any recent projects that ended up completely
different from what you originally planned?

What a sweet top! You tickled me when you mentioned shortening the sleeves. I do that sort of thing all the time when sewing. I've been following along with the story of this yarn, so I'm thrilled that I found this post and get to see the fabulous end result. I think I mention before (but just in case), I love the eyelet detail! It's a classic, feminine touch that adds to your beautiful colors.